79 Steps to Victory in Iraq?

NY Times ^ | December 10, 2006 | Various Op-Ed Contributors

[neverdem]

President Bush says the Iraq Study Group report “did a good job of showing what is possible.” Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain said, “It offers a strong way forward.” The New York Post called it the work of “surrender monkeys.” There is no shortage of opinions. Here are a dozen worth considering.

[neverdem]

It varies from some realistic assessments to cut & run.

[KellyAdmirer]

We Can Watch Iraq From the Sea

It's kind of funny that there's an actual argument that this would work. The Byzantines thought the same thing, when they controlled the "Greek Sea." Didn't really work out all that well for them in the end.

[LjubivojeRadosavljevic]

Ahem, scratch the word "Victory" and replace it with "Success."...it's Washington's way of wording things.

[endthematrix]

One only needs a Positive Mental Attitude.

[zeaal]

Sadly there are several on the Iraqi Study Group that have had remarkable careers but this final report will most likely define their place in history instead of their accomplishments.

[neverdem]

3/ Invite sunni and shiite leaders to a meeting in Baghdad: "Here's a phone, call your subordinates, tell them to assemble and turn in all their weapons.

That will never fly. You're telling them to give up the ultimate natural right, self defense.

[Parrot_was_devastating]

Baker/Hamilton....They are not finished....and with the help of drive by media,....will table Israels nuclear arsenal for verification and reductions.

Bush's test of character occurs here.....here is where he will stand by Israel or betray.

[zeaal]

Bush's test of character ....

Just hope President Bush is NOT reading Jimmy Carter's new book.

[expatguy]

Democracy and Islam are like oil and water.

You can't have both.

What the West fails to understand is that not all people want to be free (in the Western sense).

Those who choose Islam have chosen to submit to God's law and not the law of man.

Unlike man. God is infallible and as such so is his rule.

[familyop]

It's really a no-brainer--even for armchair generals who've only read a little military history. The way to win in Iraq is to step on and denazify the main source of trouble in the middle east and guerrilla strength in Iraq: Iran.

[MNJohnnie]

Only in Washington DC would you form a Congressional Commission and include not a single retired military officer with Counter Insurgency expereince or any Arab-Persian Political/Cultural Regional Expert on the panel.

Some where the ghost of LBJ is laughing his butt off watching another bunch of DC policy geeks and Beltway insiders trying to micromanage a war from 9,000 miles away

[MNJohnnie]

All ready have both in Turkey and Iraq and Afghanistan.

Perhaps the rabid ones might explain why the bulk of the fighting and dying in this war on OUR side is being done BY Muslims?

This Talk Radio dogma of "All Islam is the enemy" is one of total ignorance about both what is actually going on in the world as well as how Counter Insurgency works.

The Russians followed your dogma in Afghanistan during the 1980s. How did it work out for them?

[MNJohnnie]

All ready have both in Turkey and Iraq and Afghanistan.

Perhaps the rabid ones might explain why the bulk of the fighting and dying in this war on OUR side is being done BY Muslims?

This Talk Radio dogma of "All Islam is the enemy" is one of total ignorance about both what is actually going on in the world as well as how Counter Insurgency works.

The Russians followed your dogma in Afghanistan during the 1980s. How did it work out for them?

[gotribe]

Our actions in the middle east have always been half-steps. Policies are run by people like Baker and Cheney who want to go only far enough to ensure stable oil supplies. First means was secular dictators. Now it's democracy. Neither work in jihadist tribal societies; the power of dictatorships always falls to the concerns of the tribes, and democracy never takes root. Unfortunately, jihadism takes no half steps and what the ISG ignores is the victory of jihadism in the middle east. The result is that oil supply stability is in the last 10 seconds of the countdown. In the absence of US leadership - and it is entirely absent - Saudi arabia and iran have an opportunity now to dictate terms in iraq and align themselves against us. They can draw up the lines of control in the middle east, then broker a separate peace with israel and we'll have no leverage whatsoever with the three major oil suppliers.

[goldstategop]

Realism? More like a Vietnam bugout with the Jews as the designated fall guys. As Mark Steyn said of it, its what they call in Hollywood "a high concept. Half of those infamous 79 steps involve making sure the Jews go down the waste disposal. The rest is just making nice nice with the region's bullies and praying to God Mahmoud Ahmedinejad doesn't blow up New York City down the road with one of his new nuke toys.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[M. Espinola]

Two key steps to victory in Iraq would be the overthrown of the Iranian and Syrian terrorist exporting dictatorships.

Iraqis remove clothes of victims from the site where a suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus traveling through Baghdad's impoverished district of Sadr City, December 06. President George W. Bush embarks on a soul-searching quest for a new Iraq policy this week, after the shock-therapy indictment of his conduct of the war by an independent policy commission.(AFP/File/Ali Aol Saadi)

[PghBaldy]

Yep. Instead, the ISG calls for talks with them. They want us to beg to the Mullahs and the Sheikhs. No wonder the Dems love the report.

[hnj_00]

according to the antisemetic baker....79 steps to victory in iraq...

#'s 1-78....blame Israel and the Jews
#79 .... cut & run!!!

are any points missed???